Niff Drabbles
by arcticgold
Summary: This is going to be a group of drabbles based off of a 100 one-word prompt list that I found. Mainly involving Nick Duval and Jeff Sterling. Rated T just in case...
1. Love

**A/N: Okay, so this is going to be a story based off of a list of 100 one-word prompts; however, I would be completely open to other prompts given to me, so if you have an idea, feel free to send it to me! I can't guarantee that I will do them all, but I will try! These will also be mainly Niff based, but if you have a prompt that goes better with a different pairing I would be open to trying it. Enjoy!**

Nick looked around wildly, eyes scanning the crowd of Dalton students for that unforgettable blonde hair. He couldn't wait to see Jeff again. It was their first day back from winter break, and he had missed Jeff like crazy. Although they had planned to spend every day of the break together, Nick's parents had already made plans to go skiing in Colorado; therefore, they were forced to spend the longest amount of time apart from each other since they had started dating. Yes, they had Skyped every day possible and on the days that Nick had no internet connection, they had talked for hours on the phone, but that wasn't the same as spending their first Christmas as a couple together.

But, the time apart had confirmed one thing for Nick that had been nagging at the back of his mind for a while now. He was 100% sure that he was in love with Jeff. They had mutually decided, without ever having the conversation, to hold back on using the word love until they were absolutely sure and really meant it. Unlike other teenage couples who just threw the words around, they wanted it to mean something to both of them when they said it. That's why Nick had waited so long. He had wanted to be sure. And his time away from Jeff, however brief some may see it, had confirmed his love for his best friend and now boyfriend. The only problem now was finding a way to tell him. Neither of them had ever been really interested in overly romantic events, resulting in many of their dates being very relaxed and just fun for the both of them. This time, however, Nick wanted to do something special. Smiling a bit to himself, thinking of the plan he had in mind, he finally caught sight of Jeff.

"Jeffy!" He yelled as he threw himself across the hall at the unsuspecting warbler. "I missed you SO much!"

"Hello to you too Nick," Jeff said with a chuckle. "You seem excited about something," he commented.

Nick pouted, but his mind was straining with effort trying to hold back the sudden urge to scream LOVE YOU! In the middle of the hall. "What!" he complained, "Am I not allowed to be excited to see my boyfriend after two whole weeks?"

Jeff smiled, "I'm excited to see you too, agent three. C'mon, let's go up to our room."

And with that, the pair skipped up to their room and spent the rest of the day unpacking and settling in.

"Hey, Jeff?" Nick asked, a bit nervous about what he was about to do.

"Yeah Nicky? What is it?" Jeff replied, a bit confused at Nick's shyness.

"Do'ya mind going to the Warbler Hall and getting the sheet music for that song you were teaching me before we left? I practiced over the break, but I'm not sure if I got all of the notes right." Nick asked, while his mind was replaying his plan for the night.

"Uh.. Sure? Be back in a few minutes, I guess," Jeff asked, a bit surprised at the odd request.

Nick stiffed a giggle of excitement as Jeff jumped up and exited the room. He had specifically chosen the Warbler Hall because it was on the other side of the school from their dorm, and he needed as much time as possible. Still, at the most it would only buy him about ten minutes.

He quickly pulled out a blanket from his bag and popped a movie into the TV. Then, he let David into the room and took the basket of food he had collected for him.

"Thanks again man, it smells great!" He commented.

"It was no problem, and you should really be thanking Kurt. He made most of it," David winked before slipping out of them room and back down the hallway to his dorm.

Nick set the basket down and lit a candle in the middle of the blanket, before slipping into the bathroom. There was no way he was staying in his uniform, especially of they were going to be laying on the floor. He quickly slipped into a pair of comfy sweat pants, before slipping on a tight white shirt, one of Jeff's favorites, that hugged all of his muscles nicely. He then tried to control his hair by wetting it down and combing through it. He checked his watch- Jeff would be back any minute. He slipped back into the room, before unloading some food from the basket.

Of course, Kurt had prepard his and Jeff's favorite meal, some simple peanut butter and jelly sandwiches along with some of Kurt's homemade french fries. He smirked as he saw the desert, chocolate strawberries. He would save those for later, he thought as he put them back in the basket.

Just as he finished, Jeff came bursting through the door. "I found th- Nick?" he paused, staring around, wide eyed in amazement.

"Do you like it?" Nick asked, a bit self-consciously. He didn't know whether Jeff would think it overly cheesy or dramatic.

Instead of answering, Jef threw himself at Nick. "I love it! You did all of this just for me?" Jeff said as he squealed. Instead of letting Nick answer, he crashed his lips onto his, trying to convey all his gratitude into one kiss.

Nick pulled back after a minute, a bit breathless. "So you like it?"

Jeff just nodded vigorously.

Nick chuckled. "Good. I just though that we should make the most of our few extra days off before school starts back up again."

Jeff smiled and looked around. "Wow! Look at all of this!" his eyes grew wide when he saw the TV. He gasped. "Nick! Is that..?"

Nick nodded. "Yup! I couldn't believe Wes had it on DVD, but he did!"

Playing on the screen was a video of the moment Nick had asked Jeff to be his boyfriend. In proper Warbler tradition, he had expressed his feelings through song. The entire group had been on board, and only Jeff had thought it was just another impromptu performance. Somebody had thought to videotape the whole thing, so that they might watch it back if they wanted to. Although Nick had seen it dozens of times, every time the camera zoomed in on the expression of love and amazement on Jeff's face as Nick kneeled in front of him took his breath away, and would be priceless to Nick forever.

Jeff was grinning the entire night. They had put the performance on a cycle, so that it would continue to replay. Every time the video would come to the part where Nick said "Jeff, you're amazing. You're my best friend. Would you please be my boyfriend?" Jeff's grin would grow and he'd get chills down his spine.

Nick was really enjoying himself, but as the night wore on he was reminded of his plans for the night. He grew more and more nervous, but he did his best to hide it. Once they had finished talking about their breaks, and debating whether to try out for another solo that year, Nick pulled out the strawberries.

"Wow Nick! When did you have time to make all of this?" Jeff wondered out loud from where he was sitting next to Nick, who was laying down casually, his neck resting against the foot of one of the beds.

"Well, actually, Kurt may have helped with the dinner.." Nick admitted sheepishly. "But I've been planning the rest for a while." Nick took a deep breath. It was now or never, he told himself. "Jeff, I really missed you over the break," he started as he turned to look at him. "And, I... I'm just really glad we're getting to spend this time together." Nick said, chickening out at the last moment.

Jeff didn't seem to notice his pause, thankfully. "Me too Nicky." Jeff sighed happily as he rested his head on Nick's stomach.

Nick idly started playing with Jeff's hair. "I love you," he whispered, more to himself than Jeff.

Jeff's head shot up. He stared at Nick wide-eyed.

"Oh shit. I said that out loud? I'm so sorry Jeff! It's too early isn't it? Shit! I just screwed up didn't I? Oh God! Jeff, please say something!" Nick felt hot tears building up in his eyes, threatening to pour down his face. Why couldn't he do anything right? Nick was mentally kicking himself.

"Oh Nick," Jeff said softly, "I... I love you too! I just, I didn't know if you were ready yet and I didn't want to rush it. Oh baby please don't cry, I love you!" Jeff reached his hand up to brush away the tears on Nick's face. Then, he leaned in an gently brushed his lips against Nicks. "I love you Nick, so freaking much. I promise," Jeff cooed against Nick's lips.

Nick's face burst into a blinding smile, his tears falling now from happiness. "Love you too, Jeffers. That's... That's why I planned this night. So I could tell you how much I love you. And never want to spend two whole weeks away from you ever again!"

Jeff laughed, "You say it like it was two years, instead of just weeks!"

"Felt like years," Nick grumbled before gently pulling Jeff back in for another kiss.

They stayed like that for the rest of the night, curled up against each other and watching Nick's performance over and over again.

The next day, all of the warblers noticed something different between their power couple, Niff. They seemed closer, if that was possible. And what was more, they kept sharing knowing looks, as if they were both in on a juicy secret. Thats what, later that day in rehearsal, nobody would drop the subject until somebody spilled.

"Seriously guys! Did you do the deed or something?" asked an increasingly more impatient Thad.

Nick and Jeff both blushed a deep, deep red. "NO!" they both yelled at the same time.

"We just.. Had a nice talk last night." said Nick with another knowing smile at Jeff.

While the other Warblers continued to groan in confusion, Kurt's face lit up and he hurriedly ran to Blaine and whispered in his ear. Blaine they told Wes, who spread it around to everybody else.

Thad emitted another groan as Wes told him. "Okay, I'm going to leave so I don't have to visit a dentist tonight. You guys are even more sickeningly cute than Klaine sometimes!" And with that, he left.

After a pause, the entire room erupted in laughter.

"You could have just told us you finally said 'I love you' to each other!" Kurt said with another giggle.

"Well... I guess it was a more private part of our relationship that we felt we didn't have to share it with you lot. We also kind of guessed it would have that effect on Thad." And with that, Jeff pulled Nick out of them room to escape the stifled laughter, goofy grins, and weird looks from their friends. Not to go make out on one of their beds for the next hour. Not at all.

**A/N: Well, there's the first one! I will try to get them up as quickly as I can write them, but I do know that I won't be posting daily or anything like that. I hope you enjoyed it, and reviews are always welcomed! **


	2. Jealousy

**A/N: Okay, here's chapter two! Thank you so much to E for reviewing, Holly81891 for subscribing, and everyone who has read the story! I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

Jeff was finding it harder and harder to ignore the fact that Nick's beautiful laugh was echoing around the room for the umpteenth time that evening. Seriously, what could possibly be that funny?

In all honesty, it shouldn't be bothering Jeff that much. In fact, he wasn't even sure why it was. Oh yeah. Probably because he had been in love with his best friend of twelve years since freshmen year. And his best friend happened to be Nick. His straight best friend, Jeff reminded himself.

Straight. Yeah there was the problem. Except why was he seemingly flirting with Sebastian if he was straight? And more importantly, why Sebastian? He was the well know player at Dalton, having played the field quickly in the short while he had been there.

Was Nick really into that kind of guy? And since when had he been interested in guys?

Maybe Jeff was thinking too far into this. Probably. He was just thinking too far into things, like always. Like he did every time Nick smiled at him, that special smile he seemed to save just for Jeff. Like he did whenever Nick brushed up against him, when they cuddled up on one of their movie nights, or when Nick would grab his hand to drag him out of their room. Just wishful thinking; wishful thinking that never got him anywhere except for in an upset heap on the floor of their room, crying because the one thing in his life that made him happy was oblivious to what could really make him happy. Yes, he was definitely thinking to far into this.

Except: that blasted laugh! And now- what the fuck was Nick doing? His hand was tracing patterns up in down Sebastian's arm, twisting Jeff's stomach into a tight knot.

Jeff felt frustration bring tears to his eyes right before the hot jealousy bubbled over and his expression hardened. Obviously he was being a bit too obvious, because Blaine nudged him in the ribs.

"C'mon man, this isn't gonna help anything. Let's just go enjoy the party alright?" While everybody was aware that Jeff was gay, Blaine remained one of the only people to know about his crush on Nick. Jeff wasn't even sure how he found out, but Blaine always helped when he was having trouble with his emotions.

Jeff sighed. "But what is he doing? He's not even gay! Why is he leading Seb on?"

"I really don't know Jeff... Are you sure he's not gay? I mean, has he told you that he's straight?"

Jeff paused. "It's never really been in question, I guess. He's always just been straight!" he felt tears prickle behind his eyes again. "But even if he was gay, he'd never go for me. He's obviously into more... Experienced guys."

"Okay, stop right there. You're not going to think like that, alright? Just, just ask him tonight if he's gay! Just bring up Sebestian, and ask!" Blaine said impatiently.

"That's going to be treading on very shaky ground," Jeff warned. "I don't do well hiding my emotions."

"Just be yourself! It shouldn't be that difficult!" And with that, Blaine walked away to go talk to Kurt.

Jeff sighed, took one look back at Nick and Sebastian, and knew immediately that he couldn't stay at this party any longer. He headed back to his room to wait for Nick to get back.

oOoOoOo

Out of the corner of his eye, Nick saw Jeff all but run out of the room. "Alright, Seb. He's gone, we can stop."

Sebastian chuckled. "Well you're welcome, I guess. I still can't believe you'd go this far to make Jeff jealous!"

"Come on Sebastian. You know how much I like him! It's worth it for me! I just wish for once he'd look at me the way I look at him..." Nick trailed off, lost in thought.

"Well, he does know you're bi, right? It's not like you've come out to all of Dalton." Sebastian pointed out.

Nick just stared for a moment, baffled. Sebastian groaned, and smacked his face with his palm. "Go?"

Nick literally sprinted out of Warbler Hall, getting a few odd looks but most people just passed it off as another one of Nick's crazy ideas.

oOoOoOo

Jeff gave up sitting still, and had just tried to keep busy. After brushing his teeth, changing into the long, comfortable pajama pants Nick gave him for Christmas, and redoing his hair multiple times, he finally settled with just pacing back and forth. Suddenly, the door opened quickly and Nick flew in.

"Woah buddy! Calm down!" Jeff said with a smirk as he caught Nick before he fell flat on his face.

"Oh, Jeff! Thanks!" Nick said as he sat down on his bed. He smiled, before looking down at the ground awkwardly.

"Nick.. I have to ask you something," Jeff sputtered at the same time that Nick said "Jeff I have to tell you something!"

Nick laughed "go ahead, I can wait a few minutes."

Jeff hesitated for a second, before deciding to just go for it. "I saw you talking to Sebastian," he started, "and... Iwantedtoknowifyouaregay." he said quickly.

"Sorry, what?" asked Nick, confused.

Jeff took a deep breath and started again, "When you were talking to Seb, it looked like you were.. Uh.. Flirting. And I guess since I never really asked and it kind of made since to ask because I always assumed you were straight, but then it didn't look like you were and it's never good to assume but I didn't want to force you to come out and god now I'm rambling but-"

"Jeff. Breathe." Nick said, a wide grin growing on his face. "In case you were wondering, I'm bi. I didn't come out, mainly because I didn't think it would matter to you..."

"Oh Nick, of course it doesn't change my opinion of you, but it does matter! I mean, you're my best friend, and you know everything- well..." Jeff paused, embarrassed, before continuing. "Almost everything about me and so of course I want to know more about you!" Jeff finished, hoping Nick wouldn't catch his stumble. But of course, he did.

"Almost? Oh.. I guess it wasn't right to assume I knew everything about you..." Nick mumbled, more to himself than Jeff. "But the main reason I didn't tell you was because I hadn't figured it out until recently. You see, there's this guy who.. Kinda helped me figure it out." Nick said, smiling slightly to himself.

Jeff's face fell at this last part. Of course there was somebody. Why did he think that just because Nick was into guys it would change anything? No, if anything, it was worse now, knowing Nick was gay but knowing he'd never go for just average Jeff.

"Jeff?" Nick asked worriedly, "are you okay? You haven't said anything..."

Jeff forced a smile on, knowing it'd look fake and strained, just praying that Nick wouldn't notice. "Well, he's very lucky to have somebody like you so into him," Jeff said, each word like a punch in the stomach. "Is it Sebastian?" Jeff almost whispered. He was so worried that Nick would confirm his suspicious, he was almost too afraid to voice them out loud.

Nick's smile fell slightly and he looked confused. "No! He's really not my type... I didn't think I came across as somebody who went for people like Seb.. No offense to him, but I'm not looking for that kind of guy."

Now it was Jeff's turn to be confused. "Then why were you flirting with him?" he questioned.

Nick sighed. "Because I wanted to make... This guy... jealous," he admitted.

You succeed with making one guy jealous, Jeff though to himself. Out loud, he said, "Am I ever going to get to know who this lucky dude is?"

Nick was looking anywhere but Jeff's face. Finally he sighed and whispered "It's you."

Jeff just stared at Nick. He must have heard wrong, because that's not possible! Why would Nick choose him? Of all guys, him! Jeff was about to open his mouth to say something, anything, but Nick beat him to it.

"I'm sorry Jeff, I'm really sorry. I know this is a lot, and I don't expect you to reciprocate I just, I guess I just had to tell you. I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry." Nick started to get up, when a familiar hand grasped his wrist and pulled him back down.

Jeff still had no idea what to say, so he just did the first thing to come to his mind. He pulled Nick in and pressed his mouth against Nicks soft, pink lips. It took Nick a second to respond, a second in which all of Jeff's fears of being rejected came flooding back. Then, Nick's arms snaked around Jeff's neck and pulled him closer, as he deepened the kiss. Jeff smiled against Nick's lips, before pulling back.

"Thank you," he whispered. But when Nick cocked his head slightly to the side in confusion, he elaborated. "Thank you for telling me, and getting the courage to tell me what I have been to afraid to tell you." Then, after a moment, he added "Nick? Will you be my boyfriend?"

Nick just grinned like an idiot and nodded his head vigorously; he was obviously still in shock of everything that had just happened.

Suddenly, Jeff pulled Nick close and said into his ear "And now that I finally get to call you mine, I forbid you from ever doing that to me again."

"Doing what?" Nick asked, confused.

"Flirting with Sebastian. Talking to Sebastian. Ever trying to make me that jealous again. Because it worked way too well for my liking." Jeff said, smirking.

Nick grinned, "Did it really have that big of an effect on you?"

Jeff groaned "Yes! It was painful! Watching you with Sebastian of all people!"

"As long as you never leave me, I promise to never talk to Sebastian again." Nick said, his eyes hopeful.

"Deal!" Jeff said, grinning. Then, he yawned and checked the time. "Geez, Nick! It's already 2 in the morning! We should get some sleep."

Nick groaned, "Fine." Then, after a pause, "Mind if I sleep with you?" he asked, not wanting to break the embrace between them.

Jeff grinned. "Alright." He pulled Nick down onto the bed until the were laying face to face, then flicked off the light. "Night, three."

"Goodnight, six." Nick said, resting his head on Jeff's stomach, his smile not leaving his face, even long after they had both drifted off.

**A/N: Well, there's chapter two! If you liked it, please review! Also- come check out my tumblr! My url is starkidandklainer(dot)tumblr(dot)com! Thank you to everyone who's still reading this story! **


	3. Dreams

**A/N: Hi again! Thank you to everybody that has favorited/ added this story! It means a lot that people are enjoying my writing. I realized that I hadn't put a disclaimer yet in this story so...**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, Jeff, Nick, Dalton, or any other characters from the show. They all belong to better, much richer people. **

**Anyway, enjoy this new chapter! **

Jeff angrily sat down next to his boyfriend, Nick. Nick was reading a book, although the TV was on and playing reruns of an old show from the 70's. Jeff tried to focus all of his energy on the cheesy sitcom that was playing. Unfortunately, his head was buzzing with anger and kept replaying the conversation he had just gone through with his father.

Nick looked up when he noticed Jeff's stiff form sitting besides him. "Jeff? I thought you weren't coming back until tomorrow?" Nick questioned, confused. Jeff had gone back home for the weekend, due to his mother's complaining that she never saw him enough.

"I wasn't," Jeff huffed in a way that made Nick think that it was better to just leave him be for a bit. A few minutes later, however, Jeff blurted out "Nick? What are you going to do when you leave Dalton?"

"Well, I'm planning on going to college. Why?" Nick answered, puzzled by how the conversation had changed.

"No, I mean what do you want to be?" Jeff pushed further.

"I'm want to be a lawyer. Where is all of this coming from, Jeff?" Nick said, trying to make sense of his boyfriend's thought process.

"Well I bet your dad is just so pleased about that, isn't he?" Jeff exploded, turning to face Nick for the first time. "He probably loves that fact that his son wants to have a 'proper' job, doesn't he?" Jeff practically shouted in Nick's face. Nick just sat there, frozen by the sudden anger exploding from his boyfriend. The only time he had seen him so worked up like this was when he had come out to his dad. All of his family had already known, and the only opinion that Jeff had been worried about was his father's. It hadn't gone well, to say the least. Nick wondered if this was a result of another argument with his father. Mr. Sterling had supposedly gotten over his homophobia, but Nick still guessed that it was more for his wife's benefit than Jeff's.

"Jeff?" Nick whispered, trying to gauge where this was all coming from. When Nick called his name, Jeff crumpled onto the couch and let out everything that he'd been holding in. Nick held him tightly until Jeff was all out of tears. It didn't matter that Jeff had just screamed at him; if Nick boyfriend was upset, he would be there to comfort him. After Jeff had finished crying, Nick pulled him back to look at him. "What happened?" he asked softly.

"He told me th-that I needed to give u-up on m-my _stupid _childish dream and t-to start looking for a _real_ job," Jeff said quietly. Nick didn't need to ask who 'he' was. He was completely sure that Jeff was talking about his father. Nick felt a sudden hatred boil up inside of him. Mr. Sterling had never really been there for Jeff. He had never actually cared, even before Jeff came out. Jeff's dream had always been to be a musician. He obviously knew that it was had for anybody to make it in that business, but Jeff wasn't just anybody. He could play the piano, guitar, and the drums. His voice was pure gold, if you asked Nick.

"Shh, baby, it's alright. Your dream is _not _stupid, and I will never let you give up on it. My dream has always been to be a lawyer, and I would never let my dad change that. You are so very talented, and you better not forget that. I'm so sorry he said that, Jeffie. I love you," Nick said with finality.

Jeff threw himself into Nick's arms. "I love you too, Nicky," he whispered in Nick's ear. Nick pulled him tight against his chest, and put his head on top of Jeff's. They sat like that for the majority of the night; just enjoying each other's company and watching a marathon of pointless sitcoms from the 70's.

**A/N: And there's the third chapter! I hope you enjoyed! Any comments, criticism, etc., please review! It makes me happy! **

**And the release of Somebody That I Used to Know? Yeah, that killed me. So much emotion! We have one more week guys, one whole week. I can't wait! 3 **


	4. Anger

**A/N: And here is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it, and if you'd like to leave me a review, I'd love you forever (; **

"Oh, hey Jeff? I think I left my cell in the car. Do you mind waiting here while I run and grab it?" Nick asked as he felt around in his pockets for the nonexistent phone.

"Sure, no problem," Jeff replied as he pulled out his own cell phone. He was so engrossed in his game of Angry Birds that he didn't notice Sebastian walk up to him as Nick jogged off in the direction of the car.

"Hello, Jeff." Sebastian purred in his ear. Jeff jumped slightly at the unexpected voice, and Sebastian chuckled. "Ya know, you look quite... tasty in those jeans." Sebastian said in a way that Jeff guessed was supposed to be alluring, but really just creeped him out. Then, Sebastian put his hand gently on Jeff's shoulder. "Come on," he started. "you can stop hiding your obvious attraction to me now and we can go out somewhere."

"Sebastian," Jeff started to say, but just then Nick came running up.

"Sebastian Smyth. Get. Your. Hands. Off. My. Boyfriend. NOW." Nick screamed the last word, then reared back and punched Sebastian right in the eye. With that, he grabbed Jeff's hand possessively and pulled him up to their dorm.

Nick stormed into the room as the door hit the wall with a loud bang. He was absolutely fuming. "Nick, baby, calm down! It's not that big of a deal," Jeff said soothingly.

"Not that big of a deal?" Nick said in disbelief. "Jeff! It's a huge deal! Did you hear him? it was NOT okay. None of it!"

"Nick-" Jeff started to say. Sure, he understood why Nick was as angry as he was, but in Jeff's opinion, he was overreacting quite a bit. "He was just flirting a bit! You know Sebastian, that's all he ever does! No one else takes it personal..." Jeff let his voice drift off. Nick looked at him incredulously.

"Jeff, he was hitting on you! Hitting on _you!_ I swear, he laid every move he had on you!" Nick voice rose towards the end of his little rant. He plopped down on one of the two beds in their room and put his head in his hands. Jeff walked over and sat down next to him. He wrapped his arms around Nick from the side and rested his chin on Nick's shoulder.

"Nick. You know I love you. And besides, I would never go for a dirty slime ball like Sebastian!" Nick sighed, and Jeff pulled him even closer. "I love you. _You._ No Sebastian, not Blaine, not Kurt, not anybody but you. Besides, after what just happened, I don't think that Seb will be coming anywhere near either of us anytime soon." Jeff said with a bit of humor in his voice towards the end.

Nick looked up and smiled slightly. "Love you too, three." he said quietly. "But I swear, if he comes anywhere within twelve feet of you ever again, I cannot be held responsible for my actions," Nick said jokingly, but with a hint of seriousness that had Jeff guessing he might just follow through with that threat.

Jeff chuckled softly. "Don't worry; I imagine that black eye on his pretty little face is enough of a reminder that you mean business." With that, he pulled Nick down onto the bed where they lay wrapped in each other's arms. "Now can I just please spend some quality time with my boyfriend?" Jeff asked teasingly.

Nick grinned and nodded his head in agreement. He leaned over to lay a sweet kiss on Jeff's lips before pulling back teasingly. Jeff made a small sound of protest and followed the retreating pair of lips. Nick's smiled widened as he gave in and closed the distance between them again.

**A/N: I'm so sorry that this one is so short, and that it took so long. I was in the middle of writing a different drabble for this story but it just kept going and all of a sudden I realized that there was no way I could conclude it in a satisfying way for just one chapter. I was thinking of turning it into it's own story, or I could just have multiple installments of that verse on this story... If any of you have any preferences, please PM me or leave a comment! I will try to get the next one up way quicker than this one! **


	5. Betrayal

**A/N: And here is chapter 5! Thank you to everyone who is still (for some reason) reading this story! And I'm sorry in advance about the angst. **

Hot tears were streaming down Jeff's face as he finally reached the sanctuary of his dorm. His mind was in a state of shock at what he'd just seen.

*flashback*

"Nick... Oh baby!" The soft purr of an unfamiliar voice drifted out of an unoccupied classroom as Jeff was making his way to the library. Not being in much of a rush, he'd decided to take the much less crowed although considerably longer route past the seldom used science hall. Upon hearing his boyfriend's name being called out in such an intimate way, he froze and then slowly backed up until he was right in front of the door. He peaked through the slight crack on a carelessly closed door to see a sight that he'd previously only seen in the worst of his nightmares. Nick, HIS Nick was pinning a boy that wasn't Jeff up against the chalkboard. Their lips were connected in a fiery kiss that lack any kind of love and was clearly all lust. Nick moaned deeply and worked his fingers through the other boy's hair. Jeff wanted so badly to run, shut his eyes and just disappear forever, but the shock had him frozen in place. When he finally regained some form of control over his actions, he let out a mangled cry that caused Nick and the other boy to snap their heads in the direction of the door. Nick's chocolate eyes grew huge as he took in the silent tears pouring down Jeff's face. Just as he'd opened his mouth to say something, Jeff took off. He'd ran as fast as he could, not once looking back.

*end flashback*

He ran until he came to his dorm. He jerked the door open and fell to his knees in despair. Jeff felt as if his whole world had just been torn apart and turned upside down. Never, ever had be imagined Nick capable of something as despicable as cheating.

A hesitant knock on the door pulled Jeff back to the reality of his room. Nick walked in slowly, keeping his distance and looking extremely worried.

"Go away!" Jeff choked out as best as he could through the tears.

"Jeff... Please just listen to me," Nick pleaded to the boy who was slumped into a sad heap on the carpet.

"No, Nick. I saw what I saw, and there is nothing you could say that would justify you pushing your tongue down some senior's throat!" Jeff screamed at Nick, all of his self pity disappearing into a hot flame of anger that sent even more salty tears running down his cheeks. "There is no way I'm going to forgive this, Nicholas Duval." With that, Jeff brushed past Nick and moved straight for the door.

"Jeff..." Nick's voice was full of sorrow. He laid a hand on Jeff's shoulder in attempt to stop him, but Jeff just shook him off.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Jeff slid down the old oak frame shakily. A few moments later, he hear a loud bang that sounded suspiciously like a fist connecting to a wall, and a loud "What the FUCK just happened?"

Jeff took a shaky breath, stood up, and walked away. Sure, he'd have to come back later to get his stuff (he had no intention of staying with Nick any more), but he really just needed to get away. Walking away from Nick, and away from what was once the only thing Jeff was sure of. He knew that this experience would affect any level of trust he'd felt he could have in a relationship. But Jeff also knew he would pull through. These things could only make you stronger, right?

**A/N: So, I wrote this around 3 in the morning a few nights ago. I have no idea why, but I was in the mood for a LOT of angst. Sorry! I was half asleep when I wrote this, so if it's not any good, I'm so sorry! **


	6. Pinky Swear

Jeff smiled fondly as his daughter ran unsteadily towards him. He dark, curly hair was a mess, as always. Her eyes were so much like Nick's, and her personality so much like his own, that sometimes its hard to believe she was adopted.

When Nick had first suggested they adopt a child, he was a little wary. He was scared of everything going wrong. But his greatest fear was that she would hate having two dads. Kurt and Blaine's daughter, Holly, had gotten so angry one day the she had yelled that she "hated them for being so gay that they scared off all of her friends" and then stormed out. It had taken Blaine an hour to convince Kurt that she didn't mean it, and then he had rushed out to find his daughter.

Even now, the thought of that happening still scares Jeff from time to time. But so far, Gabrielle had accepted and embraced both of her fathers.

"Papa Jeffie!" Gabrielle's squeal brought Jeff back to reality. She'd made her way across the family room and had latched her arms around Jeff's leg. Jeff smiled fondly down at her and picked er up in a dramatic swinging motion.

"What is it sweetie?"

"When does Daddy Nick come home?" Gabrielle pouted slightly.

Nick was currently touring the U.S. He'd landed a role on a hit TV show, Joy, and they were traveling the country to preform some of the covers they'd sang on the show. Jef missed him a lot, but he tried not to let it show too much. Nick needed to enjoy the thrill of this amazing experience, and if he knew Jeff was sad because he wansn't home he would spend the whole time worrying about his husband and daughter.

"He'll be back real soon, Gabby. Probably in the next couple of days," Jeff smiled warmly at his little girl.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Pinky promise." Gabrielle demanded.

Jeff took her tiny finger and intertwined it with his. "I pinky promise that Daddy Nick will be back very soon."

"Good." She said. "I miss him," she said quietly.

Jeff laughed softly. "So do I," he told her.

***36***

Nick did come home just a couple of days later. As soon as he walked through the door, he was ambushed with hugs and kisses from the two people he loved most dearly.

"DADDY NICK! Papa Jeffie and I missed you so much, but he pinky promised that you would come home soon! And you did!" Gabrielle smiled hugely. She hugged her daddy for a moment before bouncing away, singing some silly song she learned that day in preschool, he curly hair bouncing with every step.

Nick chuckled quietly. "She miss me?" he asked casually, but with an undertone of worry laced in as well.

"We both did," Jeff said with a smile. "But knowing that you would be home soon, and that you were experiencing something truly amazing helped us pull through. Plus, you called every night. we were fine, don't worry."

"Well, okay..." And with that, Nick pulled Jeff into a kiss and led him to the couch where they spent the rest of the evening cuddling and catching up. With minor interruptions from Gabrielle, of course.


	7. Memories

**A/N: So apparently I was in an angsty mood tonight. Sorry guys! Apparently Gabrielle cried while reading this, so be warned. **

**ANGST. **

**If you can, enjoy! **

Memories are such amazing things. They can be the happiest moments in your life, or they can be the kind that haunt your nightmares and even sometimes trespass into your waking hours as well.

And yet, they can still go away. Nothing is forever.

And that is why you have to relive your memories. Otherwise, you may forget.

You may forget what he looked like the first time you met.

You may forget the smell of his favorite cologne.

You may forget how gentle and yet rough and practiced his lips felt when they were pressed against yours.

You may forget how special he made you feel.

You may forget the way he looked at you.

You may forget the way his voice softened when he spoke to you, and only you.

But worst of all, you may forget what happened. Why you have to grasp onto these memories; why he can't be there to remind you when your own brain fails.

You could forget how it was taking him longer than usual to text you back. How he was thirty minutes late for coffee. You could forget the unusual burst of anger you felt at his failure to show. You could forget how you found him later, bloody and mangled, laying in the snow, barely grasping onto life.

You may forget how you were too late. How, by the time you pulled you phone out to dial 911, he had slipped even farther into the abyss that you knew you could never bring him back out of.

You may forget his final request. That you would sing to him. To forget the paramedics; they couldn't help now. Looking back, it was such a stupid thing to do. Because maybe, maybe, there was a chance they _could_ get there on time. That they would be able to save Jeffery Sterling, only 18 when he met his untimely demise. But at that moment, you couldn't deny him. So, you sang. You sang the song that he adored. The song that could make his face light up, and then settle into that certain smile that you knew meant he was completely lost in a song.

And you cannot forget that this smile was the way his face was set when he took the last, shaky breath of life before falling away forever.

And these are the memories that you have to keep in your mind. The reasons why you may never find somebody for you, because the only human being who was perfect in every way for you was wrenched so suddenly from this earth. And worst of all, you may forget that they never even found the people who did this. You will never know whether it was a man, women, or even gang of people who jumped your boyfriend.

Your best friend.

Your everything.

And this is why you can't let these memories fade. You can't let them drift off and disappear. But perhaps you can move on. He wanted you to move on, to be happy again. You know he did.

So although you should never, could never forget your Jeff, you can move on. You do move on. You find a nice boy, somebody who can love you as much as you need. Somebody who can understand and sympathize about Jeff. Somebody who will not only help you remember, but will also help you progress.

Somebody who helps you remember how to love; something you had never dreamed possible.

**A/N: Maybe it wasn't that angsty. Was it? How about you review and tell me? (; But seriously, please review and tell me what you thought about this chapter. That would make my day, or week, or month… 3 **


	8. Cheated?

**A/N: So, this is based on the prompt given to me by the wonderful Gabrielle, aka ****rainbow-veins-gabrielle**** on tumblr. ****SHE'S PERFECT, GO FOLLOW HER NOW.**** While she gave me the prompt, I named it after one of the one word prompts so it still goes along with the 100 drabbles goal. Although, I doubt any of you care about that. So, enjoy! **

"Nick?" Jeff called his boyfriend's name hesitantly when he walked into the room. He really didn't want to have this conversation. At all, ever. For starters, he didn't want Nick to think he'd become clingy and insecure. He was also truly afraid of what the answer would be.

Lately, Nick had been coming home sometimes as late as one in the morning from who knows where. He was super secretive about where he was going, what he was doing and who he was going with. Jeff wasn't the type to get jealous so easily, and he naturally just brushed it off. Didn't give any of it a second thought. Sure, it wasn't typical of Nick, but it wasn't a big deal either. That is, until Jeff was out shopping one day and happened to see Nick having lunch with… some _guy._ Moreover, he'd specifically told Jeff that he'd be out with Kurt, Blaine and Sam. All day long. And that man right there was definitely** not** any of their friends. After that, Jeff started to notice just how often Nick was gone. How he'd come home in the middle of the night with this crazy _grin _on his face like he was so happy and… Jeff just realized that it used to be him that made his boyfriend smile like that. But now, that smile seemed like it almost belonged to someone else's boyfriend, not his. And that's why, against every single one of his instincts that are screaming at him because he never thought he'd have this conversation with the man he'd been with for 7 years, he's now confronting Nick about it.

"What's up, Jeffers?" Nick said as he casually sat down next to Jeff, keeping his eyes on his phone, on which he was apparently having a very intriguing conversation with somebody.

"Um, well… I uh…" now that he was actually speaking, Jeff realized he probably should have thought over just how to breach this topic without being blunt or awkward. _Whoops. _Something in the tone of Jeff's voice must have caught Nick's attention, because he'd looked up from the text he was tapping out to give Jeff a concerned look.

"Is something wrong? You know you can always tell me anything, Jeff."

"Yeah, um, I know. I guess I just don't know how to start," Jeff finally got out.

"Well, why don't you start from the beginning?" Nick said with a bit of a smirk. No matter what, he always seemed to get at least one sarcastic remark into every conversation.

"Um.. Okay. Well… I just… Nick, have you been cheating on me?" Well, he might as well just be blunt since he couldn't come up with any other way to phrase it. He just needed an answer. The look of pure bewilderment threw him off a bit, as well as making him believe that he'd just made a huge mistake. _Oh god no now he thinks I'm insecure and crazy and he's going to break up with me I've just ruined everything this is all my fault what am I going to- _

Jeff's self-induced panic session was cut short when Nick started talking. "Jeff, what on earth would make you think I was cheating on you? What did I do?" The fact that Nick was already blaming himself for this just made Jeff feel worse inside. Although, there still was a slight possibility that Nick _had _been cheating… No. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but now wasn't the time to start arguing with himself. He just needed to give Nick the straight up facts that had led him to believe he was being two-timed.

"I… I saw you having lunch with some guy. That day you told me you were going to be out with Blaine and Kurt and Sam? Yeah… And you're never home any more, and you never tell me why, and sometimes I'm waiting up really late just to know that you're okay and weren't mugged in some dark alley at two o'clock in the morning. It just feels like… You're drifting away. And to see you out with somebody else… I just… It scared me. I just wanted to know… if you still loved me. Or, has it gone away?"

"Oh, Jeff…" Nick breathed out. "I… I promise, it's nothing like that. Okay? Oh baby… I'm so sorry. I promise I love you so much more than you'll ever know, and that's never going away. It just grows and grows each day and I… I didn't know it'd come across like that. …Shit." At this point, Jeff was a bit more than a little confused. However, he felt as if a huge ton had been lifted off of his shoulders. _Nicky still loves me. He isn't cheating. It's all going to be okay. Thank GOD. _Whatever Nick's explanation is, Jeff couldn't imagine it being something that would upset him more than it would have if Nick had been seeing somebody else. "I… well, this was supposed to go completely different. It was going to be perfect, I've been planning it for _months_… But, I feel like I need to reassure you that I love you and you only. Jeff, the guy I was having lunch with is one of Kurt and Blaine's… er, friends. He helped Kurt out when he finally decided to, uh, take the next step with Blaine. He made everything match every single one of Kurt's expectations, which we all know is a pretty tough thing to do. So, when I told them what I needed help with, they recommended him." Nick slowly brought his awkward ramble to an end, leaving Jeff wondering what 'next step' he was referring to. They'd had their first time quite a while ago, and neither of them really needed _help _in that department. So…

Wait.

Could Nick be talking about… Marriage? Jeff had never really given it a thought. He'd always just assumed he'd be spending the rest of his life with Nick, regardless of whether it was official or not. But now, it was really dawning on him. Now that the marriage laws had been passed in New York, their current place of residence, he could actually have a full-blown wedding with Nick. They could be husbands. Bound together for life. Adopt kids, buy a house bigger than their cozy little apartment, get a pet, live with the knowledge that they were really and officially a couple for life… Jeff was brought back from his sudden fantasy with the image of Nick, down on one knee, sitting right in front of him.

"Jeff, I never imagined asking you under these circumstances, but I do have a very important thing to ask you. But first, I want to start with why. I'm sure you already have a pretty good idea as to what that question is and so I think it's safe to say you'll be following along and not really get too lost as this conversation goes on and… um, yeah," Nick blushed slightly, the nerves he hadn't felt around Jeff in forever making a sudden reappearance. "Jeff, you've been my best friend since first grade. You helped me realize who I was when I had so many other people telling me it wasn't right. Even before either of us knew it, I was in love with you. You were my life from day one, and have continued to be the one and only most important thing in my life. I love you with all of my heart, and I couldn't imagine what life would be like without you by my side every day. From the first date, which really just felt like another one of our annual coffee dates, I knew we were not just an ordinary couple. I can count the number of fights we've had on one hand, and I take so much pride in being able to stand up and yell you 'THIS RIGHT HERE IS MY BORFRIEND, JEFFERY ALEXANDER STERLING, AND I LOVE HIM SO FREAKING MUCH!'" this last part Nick felt it was appropriate to scream, ignoring the fact that it was a bit late to be yelling at full volume in a building with walls even thinner than those at Dalton. And heaven knows those paper thin dorm room walls got them into loads of trouble. Almost got them reassigned roommates, in fact. Now, back to the fact that he may have missed a portion of the simply amazing speech his boyfriend _fiancé_ (god it felt good to say it, even if it wasn't exactly true, yet) was giving. "I've been gone so much because I was trying to make everything perfect. I… I wish I hadn't, now knowing it caused you to worry about my commitment. I feel so bad about that… But, what this has all been building up to, Jeffery Sterling, will you please do me the honor of being able to call you my husband for the rest of my life?" And with that, Nick snapped open the plain, black velvet ring case to show a simple silver band with an inscription on the inside.

_Mon mari__,__mon amour__,__ma vie__._

"Oh, Nick… I love you so much! Yes yes yes yes yes OF COURSE YES!" by now, Jeff had pulled Nick up and had crushed him into a huge bear hug. Somewhere along the way they'd both started crying, but Jeff couldn't for the life of him pinpoint when. That wasn't very important right now, anyways. "I'm so sorry I doubted you Nicky… I'm sorry, I just ruined all of your planning and everything…" Jeff said hoarsely, his voice cracking.

"Shh… No, Jeffy, It's okay," Nick cooed to him. "It's alright, you're my fiancé now and that is way better than any fancy dinner or anything. Shh…" Nick lightly combed through Jeff's hair as he spoke softly into his ear. After calming down a bit, they both just sat there and pondered the fact that this was actually happening, and it wasn't some crazy dream. And of course, the night resulted in Niff cuddles and endless movies and maybe even a bit of sex was incorporated in as well. Overall, this day had ended up being one of the craziest of Jeff's life. And believe me, he's had quite a few crazy adventures. Well, this was sure one to tell the kids!

**A/N: So, probably not what you were expecting. Or maybe you were. Who knows? Either way, please drop a review for me, and tell me what you think! I love constructive criticism. Or just happy reviews, whatever suits you (; Thanks for reading! **


	9. Perfection

**A/N: Sooooo yeah. My apologizes for taking so long to update. Life has been crazy, but it's slowing down more so hopefully that means more time to write! *fingers crossed* Also, this is un-beta'd, soo please excuse my (probably many) mistakes. Also, if you'd be interested betaing for me, PM or comment because I'd give you internet brownies. **

**WARNINGS: Self-harm**

**Disclaimer: yeah me no own. **

Tears were streaming down Jeff's face as he brought the razor down again and again.

'U.'

He knew that sitting in the middle of his room wasn't the best place to be doing this - his roommate/boyfriend/best friend could walk in any moment, and then he'd be in deep shit- but he couldn't bring himself to find a more secluded area.

'G.L.'

He brought the blade to his skin quicker and quicker, the pent up emotion and self-hatred coming through onto his skin.

'Y.'

Over and over his head would play the conversation he'd had with his brother. 'Hey fag, how's it going? Your "friends" crown you the queen of the queers yet?' Why had he picked up the phone? 'I doubt it; you're too ugly to be queen of anything.' Oh right. Because he'd hoped that Jake was, just maybe, calling to apologize or make up. 'When are you going to give up? Everyone wants you to just GIVE UP. Your not worth anything anyways.' And just like that, the phone went dead.

Jeff had been doing a fantastic job, along with Nick's help, staying away from self harm and really making an effort to get better. He had even started to have more confidence in himself. This phone call was the only push he need to remember that he was nothing like what Nick portrayed him to be. He was ugly; not beautiful or handsome. He was annoying; not funny or charming. He was worthless.

Finishing his arm off with a few more cuts, he then looked to his stomach. It was scarless. Too perfect-looking to be associated with Jeff; a blank canvass in a room full of mistakes and mess-ups. He methodically moved the sharp metal across the tan, toned skin.

'FAGGOT.'

The sobs wracking his body numbed most the pain and blocked out all of the surrounding sounds. He decided to stop for now- he was shaking too much and that proved problematic when you were trying to avoid cutting too deep (not like he didn't deserve it). However, his tears didn't cease and therefore he couldn't pick up the sound of the lock clicking, the sharp intake of breath or the pounding of feet, making their way towards him.

"J...Jeff? Jeff! Oh, Jeffy..." Nick's worried shouts brought him back to the surface, as his face paled in realization of the situation.

Shit.

Oh, this was bad. Nick had assumed that Jeff had stopped cutting, which he had for quite a while. But now, oh god. This was bad. "Nick... I, I don't... I'm sorry," at this point, Jeff was at a loss for words. He was too afraid that if he said any more, he would break down again.

"Jeff... It's okay, baby. It was just a relapse..." oh. Oh. So Nick hadn't noticed the words weaves within the scars yet. He just saw the razor blade and blood and had just thought... Oh. Jeff tried in vain to cover his stomach with his bleeding arm, so that the fresh cuts were partially hidden. Ha. Like that would deter Nick. "Jeff, I know it's hard to look at, but I need to see how deep they are. Can you just... Oh." Nick's eyes widened in shock as his eyes scanned the underside of Jeff's arm. Alongside a multitude of scars, some old and faded and some still oozing blood, the word UGLY was prominent and had red bubbling around the edges of the letters. By now, Nick had stopped holding back his tears. "Jeff, why...? You're not ugly you're so beautiful and- an- oh my... Jeff!" Nick could barely choke out the last word. His eyes were glued to Jeff's chest, where the blood was flowing freely and coloring the outline of Jeff's abs.

Jeff couldn't even meet Nick's yes. 'You're such a coward' the relentless voice in his head (that sounded oddly like Jake's) sneered at him. The pressure of Nick's hands on his wrist suddenly disappeared, leaving Jeff feeling lost and alone, as he had figured Nick had finally given up and left. Everyone gave up eventually. This is why when strong, steady arms wrapped protectively and a bit possessively around him he was more than a bit shocked.

"Jeff. Jeff. Jeff. You. Are. Neither of those things." Nick whispered into his ear forcefully, but lovingly. "What..." he started, but trailed off.

"Jake called..." was the hesitant reply.

By now Nick was hardly able to control his anger. You see, this isn't the first time something like this had happened. "Jeff. I. Am. Blocking. His. Number. Okay?"

"No!" He protested quickly. When Nick gave him a questioning look and opened his mouth to say something more, Jeff elaborated. "I... What if he calls to... Apologize? I mean," Jeff sniffled a bit before continuing, "I know he didn't this time but... He's still my brother..."

Nick sighed. "We can discuss this later, I guess. But, right now I want to know what that bastard said to you. If you are ready to talk about it, I mean..."

And so Jeff relayed the pretty much one-sided conversation. Nick's whole body was as stiff as a board throughout the whole story. But when Jeff finished with a quiet "and I mean, he was only telling the truth...", Nick pushed him back slowly.

"No. To me, you're everything. Okay? Everything. You're perfectly balanced between beautiful and handsome. You're funny and cute and sweet and adorable and... To me, you're perfection in it's truest meaning." As Nick was giving his speech, he kissed each of scars. Once he reached Jeff's stomach, he paused. "Jeff... You don't understand how incredibly sad this... This makes me. I... I love you. And... I can understand if you don't love me, and that's okay. But if you... If you don't want to be with me, don't want to be gay, I... I won't stop being your best friend. I'll never leave you, no matter what happens. But seeing you label yourself like this, I..." Nick had run out of words. Silent tears were rolling down both boys' cheeks.

Putting one arm around Nick and using the other to pull his chin up so that he'd make eye contact, Jeff spoke. "I love you Nick. I would be crazy not to. I would never not want to be with you, and I don't think that I could stop being gay if I wanted to. I'm just... Sorry. Sorry for making you cry, sorry for being me, sorry for-" They never found out what else exactly Jeff was sorry for, because in that moment Nick captured his lips into a gentle kiss filled with love and promises.

"Never apologize for being perfect."


	10. Divorce

**A/N: So this is what happens when I'm tired at around 3 in the morning… I hope it's at least readable and decent, seeing as how I don't really have a beta. (Which, if you'd be interested in betaing for me, feel free to comment/PM because I'd love you forever.)**

"Nick..." even through the warped sound that comes with talking on a cell phone, Nick could hear the desperate tone in Jeff's voice. He knew immediately that something was wrong. "I need-" Jeff's voice cracked. "Can you come back to Dalton early?" They had both gone home for the long weekend, and neither was supposed to be back for another day. Something had happened. Something *bad*.

"Of course, baby. What... Did something happen?" Nick asked tentatively. He didn't want to upset Jeff more by making him talk about it without Nick there to comfort him, but it would help to know just how many speed laws he would be breaking to get there.

"I don't... Can't talk a-about it rig-ght now. P-please just hurry..." Jeff's sentence hung in the air as the sound of poorly suppressed tears paired with the crackling noises coming from his cell. So, it would be quite a few laws then.

"Jeff, I'm in my way, okay? But please, go get Trent or Thad to sit with you if it... If you feel like... You know... I'll, uh, be there soon," Nick always found it hard to bring up Jeff's self harm. No matter how much better he was doing, Nick didn't want to say the wrong thing and trigger something. It was so hard, knowing that the person you loved didn't think the were worth it and hurt themselves because of it. However, it had been almost six months and Jeff had always managed to keep himself from falling over the edge, either by calling Nick or talking himself out of it. And Nick really couldn't be prouder of how hard his boyfriend was trying. But all of that hard work could all be lost if he didn't get to Dalton quick enough. Whatever the problem was, it was not something to take lightly. Not many things could get Jef to cry. He'd tried so hard, in the beginning, to hide his pain from the others that he'd made a habit of keeping it all in. Not crying, not showing his pain, not letting his emotions play out on his face. Even with all of Nick's help to open up, he still held it all in-unless it was really, really bad. With that though in mind, Nick grabbed his keys and jumped into his car, barely taking time to put his seatbelt on before speeding out of the driveway.

-36-36-36-36-36-

"Jeff!" Nick panted as he burst through the previously slightly ajar door that had a brass '36' screwed firmly in place in the center of the upper section of the thick wood. Paying no attention to the loud bang that resulted from him throwing the door back with all his might, Nick scanned the room for his boyfriend. The sight that greeted him truly broke his heart. Jeff was silently bawling, curled up in a tight ball, leaning against Nick's headboard. Thad sat, slightly awkwardly, on the edge of the bed. (Nick had made a last minute decision to text Thad and ask him to check in on Jeff.) Thad gave him a sympathetic look before quietly exiting the room. It wasn't that Thad wasn't supportive of Jeff, it was just that he knew this was something only Nick could fix and didn't want to say something wrong or hurtful without realizing it. "Jeff..." Nick breathed much softer this time; almost inaudible. When he didn't receive a response from the blond, he climbed onto his own bed next to him and curled his own body around the shaky one of his boyfriend. They sat there for what seemed like hours; Jeff falling apart and Nick holding him together.

When Jeff finally quieted down enough, he turned slightly into the embrace his boyfriend was always offering. "I... I told them," Jeff choked out unexpectedly. "An-and it tore our family apart." Jeff spit out the last part harshly, his voice laced with venom. It took Nick a moment to realize that the spite that filled his voice was directed at Jeff himself. Perfect, wonderful, beautiful Jeff. Nick's arms subconsciously tightened their grip even more. It was as if he was trying to squeeze the self-hate out of his boyfriend. He had no reason to ask what it was that had caused a family as close as Jeff's to shake apart so suddenly. They had been talking about it for months- years, even. Their relationship was no mystery to most people that they were close to, including Nick's family, but the Sterlings had remained in the dark the past few years. Jeff was so afraid to tell them, mainly because he didn't want *this* to happen. Just as Nick was about to say something- and what, he didn't even know; maybe some form of comforting words that probably wouldn't have helped regardless- but Jeff spoke up again before he could get a word in. "She's divorcing him. Because he's okay with it. And she's not." Jeff's voice was monotone, and he spoke in short, clipped sentences. "I broke their marriage. I *ruined* it. I ruin everything."

"Jeff. Hey. No. Look at me, please?" No matter what, Nick would not stand for Jeff to talk about himself like that. When Jeff hesitantly raised his head, Nick grabbed his chin and forcefully, but not roughly, lifted his head the rest of the way, until they had made eye contact. "It is not your fault, okay? Everything will be okay. Nothing will change between us, alright? Jeff?"

"I-I'm scared Nicky. My... My dad loves her. What... What if he changed his mind a-and kicks me out so he can h-have her back?" Jeff's voice was broken and unsure.

"You always, always have a room in my house. My mom adores you, and she would sleep on the couch if it meant you'd have a place to stay. Okay?" Nick offered, blinking back tears. He needed to be strong, no matter how much this was hurting him.

"Jake and Emily don't deserve this! I ruined their family!" Silent tears were starting to dampen the tracks that had just dried from earlier.

"But... Jeff, I'm sure your brother and sister support you!" even thought Jeff had never really come out to the twins before, Nick was sure that they'd had some form of an idea that they were a couple, given the looks they'd both thrown their way when Jeff and him would sit a bit too close, or share a loving glance when they thought nobody was looking. They weren't disapproving looks, though. More like they were in on an inside joke. "They're not babies anymore. They're almost fifteen: you have to trust that they can handle this by now. Your mom doesn't matter to me; not if she won't respect us. What matters in the end is if you're happy with me. If you are, then I will continue to love you with all of my heart. And so will your family," Nick concluded, giving Jeff a reassuring look and a small squeeze.

"Nick... I love you so much. I- I don't know what I'd do without you... Thank you," Jeff finally smiled a little bit, although it didn't quite reach his eyes. Nick returned the watery smile with one of his own, and they stayed wrapped in each other's arms for the rest of the night. No matter how the divorce turned out, Jeff would have Nick and Nick would have Jeff and in the end, that's all that mattered.


	11. Park

**A/N: So, just a short little thing I wrote today when I got bored (: I know it's been far too long since I posted, and I'm sorry. But I have another fic that I'm in the process of writing as well as a book I've just started planning and am super excited about writing. Because of that, these updates will be a bit slower than usual, but I hope you enjoy regardless. **

"Jefffyyyyy I'm bored!" Nick whined, either oblivious to the fact that Jeff was trying to study or just plain ignoring it.

"Maybe you should try doing homework. You still have that essay for McAdams due on Monday and you haven't even started yet," Jeff suggested, not even looking up from the textbook he had open in front of him. He had a major Latin test this coming week, and he'd yet to study thanks to his very er… distracting boyfriend. Why he chose that language out of all the offered he didn't know. Either way, he was in major cram mode.

"Ew no that's _boring!_ I wanna… I want to go to the park!" Nick decided, jumping up from the chair he had been previously slumped in and hopping on Jeff's bed, successfully crumpling the numerous notes scattered everywhere.

Groaning, Jeff tugged the pages out from under his child-like mess of a boyfriend. "How old are you?! Gosh Nick, if you want to go the park, knock yourself out. I need to study."

Nick pouted. Apparently he is a five year-old. "No Jeffy! I don't wanna go _alone!_ That's boring! I want you to come to the park with me! Please?" Grabbing Jeff's head, Nick forced him to look at Nick, trying to get the most out of his puppy dog eyes. Damn those puppy dog eyes.

Groaning, Jeff was holding an internal argument with himself. He really needed to study, but going to the park with his boyfriend had quite a few more perks than studying; fresh air, a walk to bring the feeling back into his legs, and some quality time with his best friend. It seems like too often they only go out to fancy restaurants and dates. It's not that Jeff didn't like those dates, he _loved _any kind of date with Nick, but it had been a while since they'd just gone out for a walk or something casual. But… Latin. Ugh! "Nicky… I'd really love to, but I have to study and… what are you doing?" His sentence got lost as he noticed Nick grabbing all of his notes and using them to mark his place in the text book. Then, he got up and shoved the book into his school bag, in which he slung over his shoulder.

"I'm going to help you study- but only if you go to the park with me."

Jeff felt his face break into a grin; his boyfriend never ceased to amazing him. A minute ago, he'd had the mental capacity of a five year old, and now he had found a way for Jeff to go on a walk and still study. Amazing. "Deal," He answered, standing up. Grabbing Nick's hand without a second thought, they strode out of their room and out of Dalton. They already both knew where they were going; they'd gone to the same park since they were eight.

Upon reaching the park, Nick immediately took off for the swings. Shaking his head fondly, Jeff slowly followed him. He sat down on the swing next to Nick's, slowly rocking back in forth in it but not really swinging. "Okay!" Nick announced, breaking the silence. "Time for Latin," He pulled the book out of his bag, careful not to drop any of the notes.

Smiling slightly, Jeff replied with a "Alright, shoot." And so they studied.

Throughout the evening, they moved from sitting on the swings to laying on top of the jungle gym to hanging upside down on the monkey bars. One of the best parts about this park is that there is rarely any children there; the neighborhoods that once surrounded it emptied out a few years back and since then it was mainly Dalton boys who used the close by park as a place for an assortment of things from moonlight strolls to paintball battlegrounds. Because of this they were undisturbed the entirety of the time they were out there.

The sun slowly sank to a pale pinkish color without them noticing. With a yawn, Nick finally closed the ginormous textbook. "Well, that's about as prepared as you're going to get, Jeffy. "

Smiling, Jeff reached over and pulled Nick closer to him. The temperature had dropped with the sun, and a crisp coolness had overcome the small park. "Thanks for helping me, Nicky," Jeff's voice had dropped to a soft tone; anything louder would have seemed too much for the suddenly intimate moment.

"Thanks for coming to the park with me," Nick replied, equally quiet, with a slight grin that just did so many things to Jeff's heart.

"Of course," Jeff replied. And, with a soft kiss to his partner-in-crime's cheek, the fell into a comfortable silence.

After about fifteen minutes, Jeff noticed that it had grown pretty dark and if they wanted to be back by curfew they'd probably need to hurry. Finding out Nick had fallen asleep on his chest, Jeff placed a slight kiss on the boys lips. Once he'd gotten up, they packed up their things and started the short walk back to the school.

It may not have been a fancy dinner or a perfectly planned out day, but this was by far one of the best date's they'd been on in a while. Mainly because it wasn't really a date at all, just a day out to their old sanctuary. They would definitely be doing this more often.

**A/N: So did you like it? Hate it? Reviews would be fantastic! As always, thanks for reading and I'll see you next time. **


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